Buying a Windows 2-in-1 or Tablet? Focus on Accessories!

Having penned an article in which I outright declared that the future of mobile computing was in convertibles and tablets last week, I decided to take my advice and pick up a 2-in-1 of my own. Before I received my Surface Pro I made a lot of assumptions about how I would use the device.

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Originally, I thought that Windows 8.1’s refined native apps and the option to download more from sources other than the Windows Store would define my experience the most. As it turns out, it’s actually the ability to accessorize the device for any situation that has me excited to switch to it full-time. In fact, I now think that accessories are something more users should be considering before making purchases this holiday and beyond.

Though I’m sure scientists and social scholars could come up with a lot of other reasons that buyers love technology so much, I’d argue that users simply upgrade and purchase new products because they offer them the opportunity to create new work flows and get things done. It’s the promise of a device that’s lighter, more robust or eliminating clutter that beckons tech buyers into stores, I believe.

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What device exudes promise more than something that can be tailored to other experiences with a later purchase? Nothing.

Take my Surface Pro as an example. With the Surface Dock accessories coming out in the New Year it can become a Desktop easily. With a Surface Power Cover the device can easily last for hours, becoming the long-lasting low-powered PC users once craved in droves. With a Touch Cover or Type Cover receiver I can easily use the Surface Pro as a home theater PC too.

Of course, I’m not outright declaring that users should focus on accessories only. Buyers need to pick out the best device for their needs. That includes sometimes studying charts full of processors and memory configurations. Battery life and app ecosystem are also incredibly important too – after all, accessories do you no good if you can’t extend the machine’s capabilities with new software too.

However, most device buyers need to factor accessories into their buying decision. I have a sneaky suspicion that buyers who do are happier with the purchasers in the long run. That means they’re less likely to upgrade and save money on future purchases too.

2 Responses

So with emphasis on accessories – in the time when surface pro’s (first gen) are showing up as refurbs for 500 – does the advanced accessories of a surface pro trump that cheapness and battery life of an Asus t100?

I honestly would say it would. The Asus is nice, but it doesn’t come equipped with the Pro’s powerful processor. I’m not happy about the way Microsoft has priced accessories but the Pro wins out in my book.